Disclaimer: Sorry, guys, no turtles here! They belong to Nickelodeon (and are cuter than ever 8D)
I found FreyReh's A-Z prompt challenge and couldn't resist. I like that while the prompt forces me to write multiple chapters, they don't have to be related. That increases the liberty I can take with the ideas, as the progression doesn't have to be logical. I can switch tone at will and it's AWESOME!
Here's my attempt at the first one. I hope you enjoy it!
Angle:
"Damn!"
With a big wind-up, Raph kicked the lab door again, the thick metal slab barely shuddering in its frame upon impact.
"It won't open!" he growled, the old turtle luck running true to form.
Three minutes they had been working on the door and he and Don were no closer to opening it. It simply refused to budge. They had tried hacking the electronic lock only to find that the entire electrical system was down. Apparently upon their discovery, Bishop had taken it upon himself to put the EPF facility on lockdown, including the electronics and any wireless signals. While this made it more difficult for the guards to find the brothers – a disadvantage, certainly – it also rendered the turtles' headsets useless for communication. Meaning Raphael and Donatello couldn't contact Leonardo and Michelangelo to explain their quandary.
In the wake of their detection, the brothers divided into pairs for safety. A few seconds of deliberation brought them all to the conclusion that Raph should team up with Don, if only to keep the fighting to a minimum.
Luckily they had completed their mission before being discovered by Bishop and his men. When the facility went dark, save for the red battery powered emergency lights, the pairs had split up at Leo's command to find an exit. Leo and Mikey had slipped easily into the ventilation ducts overhead while Raph and Don raced toward the nearest emergency exit in hopes of making their great escape. Unfortunately, the foot-thick titanium door was securely sealed, leaving no other escape route. At this rate, Leo and Mikey would have already reached the established rendezvous point and be wondering where they were.
"Damn!" Raphael huffed again, his hands flying upward to seize his head before flopping uselessly to his sides.
Donatello resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the expletive, recommending with a hint of condescension, "You might want to expand your vocabulary, Raph."
"Oh yeah, genius? And how's that gonna help us?" Raph countered, gesticulating violently to the door.
"It won't," Don admitted, rummaging in his duffel bag with a look of concentration. "And neither will sheer force."
"Then how're we gonna get out of here?" Raph asked, desperation making a brief appearance before anger and frustration regained possession of his features.
"What we need," Don continued, withdrawing six small silver discs from his bag, "is a new angle."
"What the shell are those?" Raph demanded as Donatello methodically attached the metal circles, each no bigger than the pad of his thumb, to the door.
"Micro-explosives. Titanium is highly combustible, you know," Don replied flippantly as he extracted his palm top from his duffel bag.
"Micro-WHATS?! Are you insane?" Raph spluttered, fighting to catch the distracted turtle's eye. Donatello ignored his question – Raph wasn't really expecting an answer, anyway – and instead punched a sequence of numbers that only he understood into his palm top. Satisfied, he snagged the heatedly lecturing Raphael's wrist and tugged him in the opposite direction of the door, letting his sibling's barrage of insanity accusations roll off his shell.
For someone who hated being lectured for reckless behaviour, Raph was very good at lecturing others for their reckless behaviour.
Don ducked down behind a heat shield used for experimentation a fair distance from the door, hauling Raph with him. Checking his palmtop, the purple masked turtle confirmed they had thirty-two seconds until detonation. That meant thirty-two seconds until they had to run like hell.
"…and another thing: why do ya carry bombs around with ya in your duffel bag? The same one ya take on missions, patrols and rooftop runs on a daily basis? They could go off at any time and we'd be blown ta smithereens!"
Raphael was still enumerating all of the reasons why Don shouldn't carry explosives on his person, using graphic stories about homemade bombs gone wrong to illustrate his point. It was only when he saw Don check his palmtop for the second time that Raph realized he was being ignored. And if Raphael hated anything, it was being ignored.
The forest green mutant stuck a finger in his brother's face, disregarding Don's calculating look as he growled, "Are ya listening ta me? I'm sayin' that–"
"Raph, stop talking," Don interrupted, not meanly but urgently. Usually, such a brusque brush off would get a rise from the hothead; however, Donatello's serious expression tugged at Raph's tactical mind. They were on a mission, he reminded himself, and it was his responsibility to cooperate with Don to emerge from the laboratory alive. He would have plenty of time to discuss Don's closeted pyromania once they had returned home.
Abandoning his rant, Raphael waited silently for his brother to speak, eyes flickering with focus.
When Don sensed he had his brother's attention, he explained, "Those explosives will detonate in less than twenty seconds and when they do, that door will burn quickly. When the blast wave has subsided, we have to rush through the opening before the fire spreads."
He reached into his bag and removed two navy cloths that looked large enough to wrap around them. Thrusting one at Raph as he draped the other over his own shoulders, Don explained, "These are flame retardant. They'll limit the extent of the burns."
Raphael took the fabric, doing as instructed while Don glanced again at the palmtop. Nine seconds.
"Get ready," Don warned, curling in on himself with the cloak held over his head.
"Whatever ya say, Marvin the Martian," Raph grumbled.
Don didn't have time to ask Raphael how he knew about the cartoon Martian's affinity for explosives as a few seconds later, the blast went off with a jarring force. The facility trembled like it was being ripped from the ground, the initial sound of combustion replaced by a high-pitched ringing in their ears. Despite the distance and the shield, the after-effects of the blast were nearly crippling.
Once the seismic waves had subsided, Donatello shouted "Now!" although neither could hear his voice over the ringing. Gathering up the blanket, Raphael darted out first, weaving around debris with Donatello a few paces behind. They careened toward the flaming door, dragging breath into their burning lungs. Smoke coiled upward, shrouding all but the flame-licked exit.
A cracking sound from overhead broke through the incessant ringing in their ears, causing Don to look upward. He squinted through the billows of smoke, trying to make out the source of the noise but could see nothing through the haze. Though he had no visual proof, Donatello knew the structure's integrity was officially compromised and could come crashing down at any moment.
And they were thirty meters from the door.
"Raph, the place is caving in!" Donatello hollered hoarsely, unsure whether his brother heard him as his warning subsided into a coughing fit. The quick glance Raph gave the ceiling and the burst of speed he put on indicated that he had heard Don. Swallowing his own saliva to coat his parched throat, Don pumped his legs faster to catch up to his brother, who had slightly longer strides.
They were now twenty meters away.
Another disconcerting crack came from above. Fifteen meters. His eyes were full of tears, blurring his vision into a brilliant gleam of red and orange. Ten. He could hardly breathe for the smoke. Five. Raph was just ahead of him, silhouetted by the flames.
There was another crack from above and something solid came crashing down on Donatello's head, sending him face first to the floor.
First, there was the throbbing pain from the connection with his skull. Then, there was the burning agony of his shoulder that caused him to scream.
Raph whirled around at the almost inhuman sound and saw his brother upon the ground, pinned by a thick metal pipe and struggling to free himself. He darted back and knelt by Donatello's form, reaching under the pipe to hoist it off of him. Seconds later he drew back with a shout as the skin on his palms flared with pain; the metal was blistering hot to the touch.
Okay, I can't touch it. How do I get it off him? I need another idea, another…angle.
Don's words from earlier echoed in Raphael's mind and he glanced around frantically for inspiration. He caught sight of a rod a few feet away, his mind quickly forming a plan. Snatching it from its place on the floor, Raph stuck it under the pipe and braced it against Don's shell, using the leverage to heave the tube off his fallen brother. He helped the semi-conscious turtle to his feet, slinging Donatello's arm over his shoulder as he turned to face the door.
Here goes nothing.
Taking most of Donatello's weight, Raphael launched himself through the fire-framed door.
TMNTMNTMNT
"Ow ow ow! Hey, Leo, be careful with that!" Mikey twisted away from his eldest brother's hands, clutching his bicep protectively.
Leo exhaled in exasperation, lowering the needle and thread he had so meticulously prepared. "Mikey, you need stitches. That spot where the security bot grazed you is pretty deep and I want it to heal as well as possible. It'll be over soon, I promise."
Mikey regarded Leo distrustfully, seeming to consider whether or not his brother's intentions were malicious. Finally, he surrendered his wounded arm with a dramatic sigh. "Alright. But I had better be getting ice cream after this!"
"Would ya shut your trap, already? I'm tryin' ta concentrate over here."
Raphael looked up momentarily from his work on the now fully conscious Donatello's injuries. The burns scattered over Don's legs and arms were minor, but those on the bottoms of his feet and across his right shoulder where the metal pipe had landed required serious treatment. After soaking his burns in cold water for a half hour under his brothers' supervision, Don had been escorted to the infirmary and settled into a chair. His feet had already been attended to and the purple banded turtle was now bowed over on his chair to provide better access to his shoulder as Raph gently cleaned the wound.
"Well ex-cuuuuuuuuse me, Mr. PMS. I didn't know your time of the month was approaching so quickly," Michelangelo teased, craning his neck to get a better view of his brother's reaction. Without a word Leo jerked Mikey back into place, resuming his stitching despite the small squeak his patient emitted.
Raph grit his teeth at the insult, pressing harder than necessary as he dragged the disinfectant over Don's shoulder. This solicited a quiet hiss of pain from Don, at which Raphael immediately let up on the wound.
"Sorry, Don," he apologized, the flash of temper dying. Don made a little noise to indicate he was forgiven, his throat still too raw from the smoke to speak comfortably.
Ensuring his last swipe was very light, Raph discarded the swab, retrieving the burn ointment from the table. He slathered the cool substance on Donatello's shoulder, the fatigued and battle-worn turtle humming in relief.
Unable to suppress a smile, Raph asked casually, "Feels nice, yeah?"
"Mhmmm…" Donatello replied inarticulately and Raph released a laugh, continuing his ministrations.
Glancing across the room, Raph watched Leo make the final knot on the energetic turtle's stitches and snip the thread. After a close inspection, Leo nodded in satisfaction, stepping back from Michelangelo.
"Okay, Mike, you're free to go. But remember to take it easy on that arm of yours. That means no–"
"Sheesh, Leo! What am I gonna do that'll mess up my arm tonight? All I want to do is get some grub and lay on the couch for the next week!" Mikey cut across the impending lecture and hopped off the examination table. The frown of disapproval he received, a precursor to any Leonardo Lecture, made Michelangelo flash his most winning smile to avoid further reprimand, his blue eyes becoming impossibly wide.
When this didn't receive a smile, Mikey made a quick subject change to draw attention away from his interruption.
"I believe someone mentioned ice cream?"
"That was you, Mikey," Leo reminded him with an air of fatigue, although he was smiling now himself.
"C'mon, Fearless, let's get our sugar on!" Mikey crowed, racing out the infirmary door toward sweet ice-cream flavoured freedom.
Leo shook his head and turned back to check on Raph's progress with Donatello. The purple banded turtle's burns were dressed and he was now sitting up comfortably sipping a glass of water. Well, gulping would be more accurate. Thankfully, they had the foresight to bring the whole jug to quench Don's thirst, as he had already downed two glasses and showed no sign of slowing down.
Raph was now treating his own burns, the majority of which were on his feet and hands. Nothing a little ointment and some aspirin couldn't fix.
"You need any help there, Raph?" Leo ventured, taking a step toward his sibling.
Raphael quirked an eye ridge and barely contained a smirk as he replied playfully, "No thanks, mom. I got it."
Leo shot Raph a glare for the jab but he sensed no spite. Satisfied that Raph was alright – his sparkling wit was intact, at least – Leonardo strode over to Donatello, who was still drinking water like it would evaporate if he didn't drink fast enough. He knelt before the purple masked turtle and placed a hand on his brother's kneecap, looking up into his dark eyes.
"Are you feeling okay now, Don? You were pretty out of it earlier," Leo commented, studying Donatello's face for a reaction. The invalid smiled lazily, the pain medication beginning to take effect.
"I'm still a bit dizzy, but I think I'll be alright. You checked for dilated pupils and cleared me to sleep, right?" Donatello wondered, taking another generous drink of water.
"Yes. At this point, sleep is your best option," Leo confirmed, his tone as gentle as it was authoritative.
"Would you like me to help you to bed, Donnie?" the leader asked, rising to his feet and offering a hand. Donatello's gaze flicked from Leo's hand to Raphael, the genius deliberating.
After a few seconds he smiled and shook his head, replying, "I'd like to stay here to make sure Raph does a proper job on his burns. Just because I'm mildly concussed, doesn't mean I'm no longer the local medic."
"I'm doin' just fine over here, brainiac," Raphael interjected as he wrapped his feet with long white bandages. "Besides, I'm the one who fixed ya up, and I did a hell of a job if I do say so myself."
"And you do," Donatello quipped, his smile widening.
Leo grinned, glad both Raph and Don were well enough to engage in their trademark banter. The grin faded a few seconds later as Leo asked, "Are you sure you're alright? Because I can help–"
"Leeeeeee-oooooooooooo! Hurry up, dude!" Mikey called from the distant kitchen.
"Duty calls," Raph teased his eldest brother, finishing up the wrappings on his feet. Leo rolled his eyes affectionately and bid his brothers goodnight, backing from the room.
He hung in the door another moment, reluctant to leave them. Then, another shout from Mikey:
"Hey, Leo! Is tinfoil microwave safe?"
"Oh shell," Leo cursed under his breath as he raced out the door, hoping to stop Mikey from burning down the lair. That was the last thing he needed.
Raphael chuckled heartily at Leonardo's predicament, not envying him for even a moment. He'd deal with second degree burns and a loopy Donnie before Mikey any day.
As Raph wrapped up his ointment-slicked hands, Don watched him closely, intrigued by how thorough Raphael was being. His impatient sibling often refused treatment, regardless the severity of his injuries. It showed a new maturity in Raphael, something he had witnessed more than once that evening.
When he had been pinned under the searing pipe, Donatello had been able to do nothing but observe Raphael's actions. Once Raphael had found the pipe was too heavy to be lifted, Donatello feared his brother would continue trying, either hurting himself or taking so long the building would collapse right on top of them. Raph could be stubborn and if ever his strength was challenged, the turtle worked all the harder to prove himself.
It had been a surprise when he had reached over for a rod in the debris and used the leverage to raise the pipe off of Donatello. It was evidence that Raph was just as inventive as his other brothers, something they occasionally forgot.
"Hey, Raph?" Donatello piped up. The red masked turtle grunted to indicate he was listening, although his eyes remained fixed on his bandage work. Unsure how to approach it, Don said tentatively, "Thanks for tonight. Your quick thinking saved my shell. I'm really impressed."
Raphael felt a tiny swell of pride in his chest and despite his attempt to keep his expression composed, an appreciative smile curled the corners of his mouth subtly. Voice softer than expected, he replied, "No need ta thank me for savin' ya, Don. You're my bro. 'Sides, I only thought of it cuz of something ya said."
Don furrowed his brow bemusedly. "Really? What was it?"
"The thing about finding another angle. I dunno, it just kinda jumped out at me and…I knew what ta do. Ya always know what ta say ta me, Don, even when ya ain't sayin' anything."
Raph flexed his freshly wrapped hands to test his range of motion, a bit embarrassed by his admission. Hoping to clear the air, Raph grinned sheepishly and joked, "I guess those brains of yours are startin' ta rub off on me, eh?"
Without a word, Donatello stood and wrapped his good arm around Raph, pressing his face into his shoulder. Squeezing his brother tightly, he mumbled, "You're my hero."
It was muffled by his skin but Raph heard his quiet declaration. He hesitated a second before he reciprocated, directing into the gesture what he couldn't put into words.
You're mine, too.
How did this even happen? I was all "I'll write a quick one-shot!" and 3,002 words later, here we are.
Boy do I LOVE Raph and Don moments, they just make me so happy. I think that these two would get along very well, as they have enough in common to do things together while also being so different in character they don't irritate the other. Plus, they're cuuuuuuuuute :D
I hope you enjoyed it, and feel free to provide any comments or feedback! I'd really appreciate it.